Sound box for talking- machines



J. F. SMITH.

souwo BOX FOR TALKING MACHINES.

' 7 APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1919.

"Patented Apr. 11, 1922 A V J JWM ww. R

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES I1. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO ANTHONY F. ITTNER AND ONE-THIRD TO ARTHUR H. BRADLEY, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known th2LtI,-JAMES F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St/Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in Sound Boxes for Talking Machines, of whichthe following is a specification. I

This invention relates to sound-boxes for talking machines andparticularly to the cou- .Ilection between -the. stylus lever and the sound-box; and the, invention is an improvement in, the construction shown in my Patent No. 1,302,479, dated April 29,1919. I

- Oneof theprincipalobjects of the present invention is to provide a pivotal mounting for the stylus lever which will permit movement of the stylus lever in two vertical directions at right an les to each other, thereby enabling the sty us lever to continuously engage the undulating surface of the record grooves and thus eliminating objectionable soun'dsfland improvin the tone quality-and 2' volume of sound pro uced. Another object 5 of the pivotal mounting of the stylus lever is to obtain free movement of the stylus-lever therebypermittingthe stylus to closely fol low the irregularities of records having either perpendicularly or laterally undulatin record grooves. a I r I he invention consists principally in means for pivotally, connecting the stylus lever to the sound-box casing whereby free motion of thestyluslever is permitted in two vertical directions at right angles to each other; and it valsoconsists in the comparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, v wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, I i 1F 1'is a face view of a sound-box, showing a stylus lever mounting embodying my invention; 7 I Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig.3 is afvertical cross-sectionthrough .the supporting bracket and spring support for-the stylus lever, the section belng taken on the 1ine 33 in Fig. .2; I v v Fig. 4: is ahorizontal section through the supportingbracket and stylus lever on the ,line in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is abottom plan view of the soundbox and stylus lever support; I I

$5 is an enlarged vertical section taken Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

Application filed April 28, 1919. Serial No. 293,212.

pivots which support the stylus the sound-box to the free end of the tone arm (not shown) and forms communication tlierebetween. f

I Thestylus lever 18 is tapered upwardly and terminatesin a horizontal coil 14, the inner-end of which is solderedoi' otherwise secured to the middle portion of the dia )hragm and constitutes a flexible connection etween the diaphragm and the'upper end of the'stylus lever 13.. A stylus 15 is inserted inasocket formed in thelower end of the stylus lever and is held therein by 111821118 013 a knurled screw 17 The form of stylus depends on whether the stylus is to be used with tablets having perpendicularly undulating record-grooves or with tablets having laterally undulating record-grooves. .-The free end of the stylus lever 13 is pivotally supported at the outer end of a hori zontally disposed flat plate or spring 18 in. a manner hereinafter more fully described. The spring 18 is supported from the soundbox by means of a supporting bracket which comprises a vertical flange 19, which is adjustably secured to the front face of the sound-box and a horizontal base flange 20, which extends rearwardlybeneath the sound box and has a forwardly extending arm '21 locatedbeneath and parallel with the base flange 20 but spaced therefrom far enough to accommodate a clamp 22. The rear end portionof the spring 18 is adjustably secured by means of screws 23 to the rear end of the arm' 21 of the supporting member, and is insulated therefrom by sound insulating-blocks 24;. One of said blocks is ar ranged between the arm 21 and the supporting member, and the other block is disposed 11 and having a hollow stem arm-13 by the screws 23, which pass through slots 25 in the spring 18 and screw into the which embraces the spring 18. This clamp 22 is slidable on the arm 21 of the supporting member and springlS for adjusting the amplitude of the vibrations ofthe stylus lever 13. The clamp 22 is insulated from the spring 18 by suitable sound insulating blocks25.

Located atthe forward end of the spring 18 is a clip 26 of inverted channel-shape,

which isprovided with a lateral base flange 27 riveted or otherwise secured to the forward end portion of the spring 18. The hor izontal web portion of theclip 26 is rovided with a large opening 28 throu'ghw ich the stylus lever passes. -The lower end of the stylus lever extends through a collar or yoke 29 and is mounted therein for oscillation upon a horizontal axis in a plane parallel with the front face of the-sound-box by means of oppositely disposed pivot studs 30 which are threaded into the opposite sides of the collar 29. These pivot studs 30 are adjustable towards [and away from each other and vare held in the desired-adjusted position by means o'f'j'a-m-nuts 31 located at the outer endsofthe studs. i j The styluslever is provided witha rod or' spindle 32 which extends throu h the stylus lever 13 and projects there rom a suitable distance on opposite sides of the same. Thespindle 32 fits tightly in the stylus lever so as to tu'rntherewith and its oppositelen'dsare journaled in the sound insulatingplugs 33, whichare mounted in a bore in the adjacent 'endsofceacli pivot stud 30. The opposite endsof the spindle terminate short of the end of the bore in each pivot stud thus permittin endwise movementof the spindle. The sty uslever is normally held in a position midway between the" pivot studs 30 by smeans of a pair of coiled springs '34 whichare sleeved on each end of the spindle and are insulated from the stylus lever by means of sound insulating washers 35.

The collar 29 is in turn mounted on the clip 26for oscillation upon a horizontal axis byv means of oppositely disposed horizontal pivot studs 36.' These studs are threaded into the side flanges ofthe clip 26 and extend through the collar 29, and pivotally supportthe same. The pivot studs 36 which support the collar 29 are adjustabletowards and :away from the collar and are held in adjusted position by means of jam-nuts 37. The collar 29 is permitted to move longitudinally of thepivot studs 36 "upon which it issu'pPOrted and is normally held 'in-"posiclip 26 by means of coiled springs 38. These coil springs "are sleeved on the pivot studs '36 and are located between the outer wallof the collar and the inner face of the side flange of the clip .26. The pivot studs 30 which support the stylus lever are arranged atzrightangles to the pivot studs 36 which support the collar, thus permitting the stylus lever 13 to oscillate upon horizontal axes at right angles toeach other and also permitting bodily movement of the stylus lever in two'horizontal directions at right angles to each other. This movement of the stylus le ver in two directions is permitted by reason of the flexible connection between the upper end of the stylus lever and the diaphragm and results in free mcvability of the lower end of the lever arm 13, which permits the stylus pointto closely follow and continuously engagethe record surfacesaof the tab lets having either perpendicularly or laterally undulating record-grooves I I The foregoingarrangement is considered only as an example and as being theone best and a supporting casing, a stylus holder 99 comprising a lever arm connected at one end to said diaphragm andsupporting a stylus at itsother end, vand a collar supported on said supporting casing and adapted to receive said lever arm, said collar being mounti- 195 ed on -oppositely disposed "horizontal pivots on said supporting casing,iand said lever arm being mounted on oppositely disposed horizontal pivots 1n said collar, said lever arm and saidcollar being arranged. for 'bod- 11 11y movement longitudinally of their respective pivots which are arranged at right an.- gles to each other, whereby thestylus lever 13 permitted to move bodily in two-horizontal directions at rightangles to each other ,11

and is permitted to 'osc'illate'upon horizontal axes at right angles to each other:

2. In'combination with a sound-box for talking machine's comprising a diaphra m and a supporting casing, a stylus holder comprising a lever arm connected at oneend to said diaphragm and supporting a stylus at its other end, a collar mounted on oppositely disposed horizontal fpivots {on said supporting casing-and arranged for bodily 125 movement longitudinally of said pivots, said lever arm being mounted one positely-disposed horizontal pivots in said 1 collar and arranged for bodily movement longitudinally of said pivots the oppositely disposed 130 adapted for the stylefof sound-box and pivots which support said stylus lever being arranged at right angles to the oppositely disposed pivotsrwhich support said collar whereby said stylus lever is permitted to oscillate upon horizontal axes at right angles to each other, and yieldable means supported on the pivots for said collar and the piv ots for said collar and the pivots for said stylus and arranged between said collar and said supporting casing and between said 001- lar and said lever arm for normally maintaining said collar and said lever arm midway between their supporting pivots.

3. In combination with a sound-box for talking machines comprising a diaphragm and a supporting casing, a stylus holder comprising a level" arm connected at one end to the diaphragm and supporting a stylus at its other end, a collar slidably mounted on oppositely disposed pivots on said supporting casing, the stylus end of said lever arm having oppositely extending spindle portions slidahly mounted in pivots arranged at 7 right angles to the pivots which support said collar, and yieldable means mounted on the pivots for said collar and the pivots for said stylus for normally maintaining said collar and said lever arm midway between their supporting pivots.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 26th day of April, 1919.

JAMES F. SMITH. 

